ANGELA BIRD'S
Northern France
What to do and see within 90 minutes of Calais

WHAT'S ON IN NORTHERN FRANCE

March 2010

(entries in red indicate new additions)

	PLEASE NOTE This website is really just a supplement to Angela Bird's guidebook, Northern France: What to do and see within 90 minutes of Calais (left), which gives full details in its 176 pages of hundreds of interesting and off-beat tourist sites throughout the region. What you see on the website consists of either extra topics not covered in the book (Calendar, Restaurants, Travel routes, Internet links etc), or updated information (new tourist attractions open - or old ones closed) since the book appeared. For the complete picture, order Northern France through bookshops in the UK and Ireland, or from Amazon ; it is also on sale in good bookshops throughout Northern France.	The listings on this site are supplied in good faith, gathered by the author from various sources. However it is always wise to check details with organisers or tourist offices before making a special journey. The “département”, or county, is indicated by the following official figures: 59=Nord 62=Pas de Calais 80=Somme
Jacqueline, Colas and family in Arras town hall	As the season of “giants” is getting into its stride now, here is a link to the Fédération des Géants du Nord de la France - one of the sites that tells you the dates of the different parades. There is an interactive “Agenda des Géants” with dates for outings. Here is the site for La Ronde des Géants, which tells you about the history of giants in Belgium, France and other countries; click on “Agenda” to see a list of outings (tip: look for the French flag if you want an outing in France; not all of them are in the North, by the way).	Henri le Douanier in Godewaersvelde’s Musée Frontalière.
Until 14 Mar 2010	Cicatrices de guerre(s) Exhibition of original drawings from comic-strip books by Picardy-based artists. In this peculiarly French graphic-art-form, 16 serious stories on World War I are recounted in strip-cartoon form, covering life in the trenches, behind the lines, among civilians and the disfigured ex-soldiers. They are shown alongside documents and objects from the museum’s collection to show the scars on the Picardy countryside left by the Great War.	Historial de la Grande Guerre, Péronne, 80
Mar	Carnival	Berck-sur-Mer 62
Mar	Carnival d’été The “summer” carnival of Cassel sees the parade of both giants: Reuze Papa and his dignified consort Reuze Maman.	Cassel 59
Mid March	Hydromel en fête A weekend of discovery around the making of the honey-derived drink mead (hydromel). Admission free.	Musée de l’Abeille, Bouin-Plumoison, near Hesdin, 62
Late Mar – late June	Le Jardin des Boves The annual three-month summer period when the tunnels beneath the tourist office of Arras take on a new air, being filled with growing plants and strange music. Visitors expecting the usual history-filled tour may be disappointed... Guided visit 4.70€, children 2.70€.	Office de Tourisme, Hôtel de Ville, Place des Héros, Arras 62
late Mar	Carnaval de Bergues The carnival parade starts in the main square of this attractive fortified town at 3pm.	Bergues, near Dunkerque, 59
Late Mar	Braderie d’Emmaüs Spring sale at the popular junk emporium near St Omer. 2.30-5pm.	Rue du Noir Cornet, St Martin au Laërt, nr St Omer 62.

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NORTHERN FRANCE
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